North Korea Conducts Artillery Drills Near Southern Border

South Korean soldiers on Yeonpyeong last month. North Korea conducted live-fire artillery drills near the island on Tuesday.

YonhapEPA/Landov

North Korea has conducted live artillery drills near a disputed western maritime border with the South just days after President Obama and his South Korean counterpart urged Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons.

NPR's Jason Strother reports from Seoul that Pyongyang gave South Korea a heads up ahead of the artillery test. He says South Korean fishermen on islands close to North Korea's Yellow Sea coast were warned by Seoul to stay out of the water.

Such drills are not uncommon, but the latest come on the heels of Obama's visit to South Korea – part of a four-nation swing through Asia aimed at bolstering U.S. security and trade ties with traditionally allies in the region.